Ethereal
by Violet x3
Summary: And they are never sure of what they are doing but they are positive it will work." Raven returns to Azarath to fulfill a duty and perhaps find fulfillment. Only no one asked Robin if he was okay with this plan. Kind of AU, M for Later chapters. R&R!
1. Prologue

A/N - Hi ! This is what I guess I would call a teaser to what will eventually be chapter one. This all depends on the feedback I get. This is not me whoring for reviews or whatever the analogy is used on this site lately. Writers really count on and appreciate the comments in a well written review. This first bit is rather melancholic and while it does lighten up in chapters I can't promise any intense fighting action as those scenes aren't my best. Raven is my favorite character as she is to many on this site and I just like giving readers opportunities to see her in a different light. I try my best to keep her in character but this story is about development and growth so I guess we'll just see how it goes.

The rating will change for later chapters.

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Ethereal PT I.

The ship is silent on its voyage back home. The captain's home. Her home.

The stars are much more beautiful from afar she thinks. Brilliant balls of gas that burn brightly light years away while we watch them from the comfort of our soft green covered lands. They can see them now. These stars they count on light and power their planet. They take comfort in the thought that everyone they care for is secure beneath the dark blanket of dwarfs, giants and novas. But what of her ? Are they thinking of her down there ?

And she wonders when it is exactly that they'll begin their search for her. Will it be on a quiet evening while they sit stiffly in their wood chairs, strategizing and plotting their next actions in defense? In the midst of a retaliation tactic would it suddenly shoot up their spines? This overwhelming feeling, the nagging voice insisting that perhaps something isn't right ? Would one of them be overcome with an urge to speak and wonder aloud?

_"Where is she?"_ Will it occur to them to ask _"Where has she gone?"_

The captain's stare is empathic with tired grey eyes that recognize her pain as she gazes at the moon fondly. They'll never stop to think if she'd been taken against her will or left on her on whim. And the only ones who wonder will never speak. She fidgets with the dress she's been asked to wear. It is modest, black and stark against her pale skin. The fabric is a rough lace that itches her tender arms but she's been assured that this is pleasing.

" Azerath is but an hour away, Miss." The captain is soft spoken with a light voice that a reveals the age of a man much too young to carry such burden in his tone. His eyes are gentle and now sympathetic as he feels the realization sink upon his passenger.

She thinks to herself of who exactly she'll be pleasing when she arrives. She imagines they'll tell her she looks every bit as lovely as her mother. A living picture of grace herself. She imagines she'll be a spectacle for the court to fixate their eyes on until her last breath. Gape at her they will but these people will live to please and while she's only ever wanted to escape this life she tells herself that she will do it only for change. She'll do it for her people. Her servants so lost like children.

She will be a better master than her own.

The master she and her companions fought so fiercely to defeat is back to haunt her with his memory. For every happiness there is a consequence, she knows this. But it's all too soon. She can almost feel the smile she'd worn on her face that day and was desperate for a reason to do it again. She could still remember the intense beating of her heart from a safe embrace and lasted till the days that fell after. Such feeling. Father would never approve.

But this is not about being a better master. This is not about being a master at all. Her heart beats now to remind her that it's reason for beating has been left behind. Beating ignorantly in her chest as if she could ever forget what she's lost now.She searches her mind for the soft blue eyes. Heavy with grief but sobering and calming. She thinks to a time where his hands were bare and his face in plain sight. Those hands were warm. His hands meant protection. She's never been one to count on anyone else for security but he made things terribly secure. He bore his feelings on his face one day and spoke to her without words. A shaking hand against her skin and an unyielding gaze.

The ship travels faster leaving galaxies behind and she cranes her neck back and stares at the empty black void forlornly.

She'll never see him from here. But maybe if she reaches he'll reach back.

The humans always speak of the abilities their hearts posses. How feelings can be felt through an organ that's only known purpose is to pump blood. She's never believed it could communicate with others. She's never believed it connected or synchronized with others. But now she finds herself a true believer in it's ability to ache.

" We're here Miss. Raven." The captain extends his hand to her and she takes it ,blindly. A blank look on her face as she tries desperately to cling to every human lesson she's ever learned.

No it's clear now. And perhaps her lord would be so kind as to allow her friends to this wedding.

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It's really rough and sometimes I forget readers aren't in my head with me while I'm reading over what I write so questions would be really helpful.  
Keep it constructive please !

--Violet.


	2. In Which We Shed Light

Hi ! I would like to thank anyone who put me on any alerts, I appreciate it. I REALLY want to thank those who left reviews. Really the fact that you took the time to leave something means a lot more to me than you can understand. I'm glad you left your thoughts and I'm thrilled that you didn't hate what you read. After being out for so long it was very nice to find such messages in my inbox. I hope you'll continue to read and I thank you again so very much for giving me a chance.

I am still foreign and without a Beta so forgive my errors please !

This chapter doesn't answer much of the questions but I'm getting to it I swear. This chapter is by no means a lemon, It's meant to be a subtle implication but I've never posted any on this site before so if it's a lot more than subtle or you feel it abuses the M rating please inform me before reporting me to the Mods!

Thanks for reading and I hope you'll review !

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Ethereal

Chapter One

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"Maybe she would like to join us on this outing for dinner?"

And he thinks that she's wrong but a trip to that room is suddenly the best idea he's heard and he'll take any excuse he can get. He cares for Star deeply. She is like a raw force, so full of life with heart and feelings bare for all to see. It is powerful and enchanting but as hard as he tries he can never keep up. She is bright and therefore a contrast to himself and perhaps that is why he keeps her around. But as beautiful as sunlight it is, it burns after long hours of night.

"I'll find her." His tone is always deep and his voice always scratchy. He doesn't speak as much as he used to and she hangs on every word. Her eyes are green and wide with hope. She hopes that maybe this will be the day he has something more to say. She cannot read his face. His eyes shaded from hers with a fabric that is now the subject of her loathe and envy. She wishes that one day he will trust her like that cloth and allow her to see what he hides from everyone else. Because all anyone wants is a piece no one else can have. She wants a piece of him no one else can touch.

"You go on ahead." But today is not that day. So with a smile hiding just a fraction of disappointment she searches for the others leaving him in the dim hall. And he exhales. Not because she is troubling. Not because she is bothersome but because she is simply too much for right now. His mind will not let him sleep and there are people always calling his name and all he wants to do is rest.

'_We can rest when were dead.' _And he will.

The halls are lined with pictures. Framed fan mail or titan inspired works of art painted by admirers. There are sketches of the tower in it's first construction and a couple of group photos. Action shots, caught by various newspapers scatter the dark gray walls and Robin manages to find a couple where he catches himself smiling. His eyes stray to the image of a dark cloak with glowing violet eyes squinted and intense with an untapped power and a face tight with concentration and focus.

Despite what he would have others believe, this is not a job for him. Not like it is for her.

The weight of the world only rests on his shoulders because he puts it there and no other reason. Because deep down past that man on a quest for vengeance or revenge is a boy who needs to be needed. He has a name and a life outside the titans but should this is end he will have nothing else.

He will have nothing else because he chooses to have nothing else and that is his choice. Conscious or not.

It's something they've never discussed before. What they would do in the event of the team's separation. Star would always have her kingdom. Her family. He would have a house and an identity to return to and the guys ? They had their own lives before and they would find them again. And if fighting crime was their extent of their life long goals, the Titan's tower would be welcoming and of course there was the justice league.

But what of Rae? The daughter of a devil from another world entirely.

He thinks of what he'll do with her when he reaches her door. Where he'll put her, he means. She could never blend with him in Gotham.  
She'd be a titan forever whether she wanted to or not and there would be no peace. Who else could she go with ? Who else did she know better.?

They were getting older and the title Teen Titans seemed hardly appropriate anymore. Some wanted to get education.

Some wanted love and some wanted a shot at normal lives.

But he imagined she was very tired by now. Some wanted to learn. Some wanted romance but he was sure she wanted rest. From what he'd seen. From what she'd shown him. From what he felt, he knew it to be true.

Sleep or something like that.

Or maybe he did not know her as well he wished he did. Maybe she was just as much of a mystery to him as she was to the others. But one thing was for certain. He was closest. No one would be closer.

Because all anyone wants is a piece no one else can touch.

In the evenings when after a day of a stone facade and invulnerable amour she would collapse and allow the injuries she'd received in battle to tear her face in agony. She'd clutch her heart in attempts to relieve the tension. So heavy and bowed down with things that she could not grasp. They'd consume her and then ooze through her pores and flow from her skin like waves that crashed against his mind. He'd felt these feelings before but not coupled with her confusion. Never so much confusion and it hurts.

Her confusion made him dizzy until he could not remember who was scared anymore. Because he hears so many voices and they're all calling his name. He cannot help them all but her voice is the loudest so to her he goes and to comfort. And they are never sure of what they are doing but they are always positive it will work.

He imagines that she's sleeping now and he remembers the last time he's been on the other side of this door.

" Raven."

_' Rae ?' _

_He could not figure out why his voice had been so desperate. Pleading. He had done nothing wrong. _

_He'd been in the library that evening. It was on one of the lower levels where the sun never shined quite as brightly and the air was just a bit stale. It wasn't visited often by the mass of them but that was fine. No more than three could fit comfortably. And even then three itself seemed far too great a number. _

_'Star?'_

_She came to him, cautiously staring the room down, wide green eyes shinning with tears. Her infectious smile absent on her face that evening. Instead her body shook with sobs as she frantically explained these feelings that recently come to surface. She leaned on his chest as he smiled and explained to her that this sickness that would not allow her to sleep was nothing more than homesickness. _

_He'd been a friend comforting a friend and at the time it had seemed completely innocent. _

_But to accusing violet eyes who have seen more than their fair share of seemingly innocent scenes this seemed anything put. Robin himself could feel Starfire's thoughts and he was no empath. He imagined Raven would never take the chance to check his feelings. To feel his thoughts. And he was right. She didn't._

_' Rae, wait.' And even as the words fell past his lips they seemed heavy and laced with guilt. But even if this truly innocent embrace had been anything but, he would not be at fault. He made no promises and if Star had been more than a friend what right did she have to stare at him this way ?_

_But the stare was like a flash and vanished just as swiftly as it came. No accusatory glare but a panicked and shamed gaze. Her eyes averted quickly as she bowed her head stepping out quietly as if she'd witnessed something very private and personal. _

_And he supposes in a way, she did. Private and personal but not quite at the level of intimacy she assumed. _

_Nothing like she assumed. _

_' Rae ? Open this door.' _

_And he wanted desperately to tell her it was not what she thought. But had it not been ? The library could fit no more than two comfortably. And not just any two. _

_He thinks if he'd just been on the roof that evening this would have never happened.  
__That was her library. _

_' She was homesick. I was being a friend." It was truth. There had not been anything outside of platonic concern in that hug._

_' She excites you.' _

_Outside of the typical biological body response of which he had no control over of course. Starfire was very attractive surely she understood that much about human physiology. _

_She opened the door after having regained some of her composure. She looked just as guilty as he felt. She looked just as lost and confused. He could see how foolish she felt. It was irrational but they could do nothing else._

_' I'm sorry.' And he was. He was sorry for things he did not understand. He was sorry for feelings he wasn't responsible for. The last thing he wanted was to be the source of added confusion. _

_' You have nothing to be sorry for.' It was malicious, sarcastic or scornful. Her tone was dejected as the truth was often disappointing. _

_And Robin imagined that perhaps he wasn't the only person who wanted a piece to keep for himself. _

_He would give her much more than a piece. She could have everything. _

_Her eyes widened in slight panic as he neared her. His legs bringing him closer while hers backed into the wall. He brought up his hands up to hers and held them shakily against his chest as his breaths became heavy. She was seeping emotion and it hit him full force. _

_She'd never done this before and he'd never felt so much need in his life. What had she done ? It would be so easy to blame this on her but these feelings were not just her own. They were his too and they grew stronger with every mingled breath they took. _

_' We don't do this.' She whispered. And she was right. They'd never done anything of this sort before. Yet nothing had given him more of a thrill then the feeling of her small hands clutched tightly in his own. But it wasn't quite right. It wasn't enough. Something had to be fixed. _

_He looked down to find her pale fingers woven with his green gloved ones. It wasn't enough. He could sense the weight of them but nothing more. _

_' I can't feel you.' And there'd been such an edge in his voice. Such a desperate edge. Slowly he removed his gloves. Revealing his larger and naturally darker hands into the dim lit room. He flexed them once and allowed them to be chilled by the cooler room before taking them into hers once again. They were soft and silken against his rough and callous hands. They were fragile with smooth scars on the silvery skin. _

_They were shaking, those hands. Her eyes were closed as he backed her further into the dark corner. He could only imagine what she thought of him then, a madman. Breathing in the skin on her knuckles. Brushing his soft lips against her fingers ever so slightly as if the act alone would ease the need and heat that consumed him and refused to leave. _

_' It's not enough.' He told her. Closing his eyes burrowing his face into her neck, breathing deeply as he searched for control in every space of his mind. She gasped in shock as he nuzzled the skin there and as he fought every urge to taste just what essence lingered there on her flesh. He fought and he lost. _

_And with a slow and languid lick, he traced the edge of her jaw, never stopping at her gasp . She fisted her hands in his shirt and held her mouth open in what she could only describe as delicious horror. yes there was fear but there was something else. A feeling that she could not name. _

_' Robin.' It was a plea for something she could not speak. And if he ever had any chance of stopping it would be then and not a moment after**. **Part of him feared it was because she wanted this to be over. But he could tell from every shudder and shake that this was not the case. Lowering his hands, he slid them down to her sides never ceasing the kisses that went from her jaw to her collar. _

_' No, It's not enough.' He pressed his lips to hers pulling away just fraction too early leaving her to follow after him with searching lips. Slightly brushing his nose against hers in a conflicted manner he pulled her closer. Flush to his body. Watching carefully for the flicker in her eyes. She'd never experienced anything like this. He could feel it. But now he wanted to see it. _

_He wanted to make her feel it. To make her show it to him. _

_' Robin.' He would just die if she asked him to stop. Placing his face back into her neck he sunk his teeth into her as if searching for the pulse beneath her skin and she gasped loudly. Her arms slid around his shoulders with the intent to remove him her chest. There was too much heat and she couldn't breathe. But her hands fisted in his hair and held them. _

_' You weren't like this with Starfire.' It came out in a husky pant, she could not collect herself. She couldn't find her words._

_' I'm sorry.' He apologized before and he would do it again. But he could not stop now. Feeling just a bit bolder than he had before he slid his hands down her sides. Pausing slightly as his fingertips grazed her chest where her heat beat wildly. She whined, this was new and so overwhelming. ' I'm so sorry.' he whispered before his hands found themselves tangled in her hair. His other following the curve of her back before coming back at her hips. His fingers spreading wide down her thighs before snatching her waist lifting her higher and closer to him. So tight she could feel his heat against her and she could feel his. And she whimpered. ' I'm sorry Raven, but I can't control myself.' But she could not either. And despite every warning her mind gave her she allowed herself to wrap around his middle._

_' But I'm scared. ' But worse than the fear of the unknown was the fear that this throb, that this heat would never stop. Her heart would never slow and the air would never sit right with her lungs again. She wanted him to make it stop. _

_Robin took a deep breath before reaching for her zipper. ' I know.' _

" Is she in there ?" He whips his head around to Starfire and it's then he realizes he's been standing at this door for nearly five minutes without any response from the other side. Cy and Beast Boy join them outside the dark titan's door waiting as Robin knocks once more on the door.

" Raven ?" He asks with authority in his voice. He'd been afraid to talk after his most recent stroll down what Starfire had named ' The Avenue of Nostalgia.' Otherwise known as Memory Lane. The memories were still fresh although it felt like ages ago and he hasn't been able to look at her the same since then. She'd seen so much more than his face that day. He was like an animal underneath the aesthetics and the human flesh.

Primal. And she'd seen it all.

" Maybe she left." The room looks untouched except for the missing clothes in the closet and the few empty spaces on the book shelves. Robin looks to Starfire and he almost believes her except he can't. Although Raven had never been one for confrontation he can't believe that she would leave without saying anything. He won't believe that she would just leave.

And there it was. Shimmering on her nightstand , his hope.

" Start a perimeter search and fan out." Though her whereabouts weren't certain, one thing was for sure, she did not_ leave. _" She's been taken."

" It looks to me like she left, Rob--." He was well aware of the nature of Raven and Cyborg's relationship but he'd be damned if he was going to let a little bonding over cars and other hobbies have an influence on how to approach this situation. Their big brother/little sister game was nice. Endearing even but now wasn't the time for it. Cyborg knew Raven as well as their physician did and that's where it ended.

" You're wasting time." And there was no need to yell. So he never did. " Stop at the city limits we'll come back here and conference."

So they left. Each with a different looking marring their features. Cold. Confused. Betrayed. He would fix it later, right now all that concerned him was the mirror clutched tightly in his hand.

While Raven was an enigma, her origin was an even greater mystery. This mirror was portal to her mind. If she'd been kidnapped and was permitted to bring things with her, why would she leave something so vital. Something that could make her so vulnerable to attack.

Robin imagined that perhaps this mirror is capable of more. Although it pained him more than anything to go in search of help from this particular scrap of a man Robin feared he had no choice. The Titan's had not been the only ones to have a history with Raven. Though they couldn't be farther from allies, there is one more who knows about Azarath. One who may know a great deal more than he does.

Tomorrow Robin thinks he'll visit an old friend.

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Please Review  
Keep it constructive!

-- Violet.


	3. In Which We Arrive

A/N - Okay, thanks in advance to anyone that reads this. Major thanks to any that review as well. I haven't been on in YEARS and it seems that most of my friends and fellow authors that really rocked this Fandom have vanished. I've made some progress with my English, or at least my American husband think so, at any rate I wont take any offense to any spelling or grammatical mistakes pointed out, I am without my beta as we've all lost touch.

I abandoned all of my stories and while I won't suggest that I have time to devote to getting them back on their feet, I did want to indulge myself with this one. I had a lot of plans for it and I feel bad for letting it catch dust on my hard drive.

This was on quite a few alerts, so for anyone that hung on, this is for you. And if you're just joining me, well, this is for you too.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Or at the very least read them.

Violet.

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Chapter Two:

In Which We Arrive

Ethereal

Violet.

* * *

Her guard is silent and unapproachable the entire distance from the landing docks to the Temple. It had been a long time since she'd seen the Temple Azarath although from what she could see, not much had changed. Externally, Raven noted. Azar's subjects had been desperate to reach her and in their letters did explain in great detail how Azarath had not been Azarath since the fall of their beloved leader. Leaving no heir or child to lead his followers, there was no one to take control when the rebels started rising. There were rebels in every bunch, in a land where over 900 followers left their home land in pursuit of religion there would be offspring soon from the original settlers that were less than pleased with the governments and it's limited freedoms. Azar had not left a child but as far as his disciples like, Asrai believed, Raven was the closest they would ever get to one.

And so Asrai and his peers had come to the conclusion, since the rebels were no longer a tiny voice that could be smothered with the correct influence on the media, things had to change. The rebels created their own form of government and unlike their Azarath ancestors, they were not above violence. To simply exist and instill fear into every peace loving follower was not enough, they had to threaten their pacifist society in the only way that left the Azarath people defenseless.

Azar's disciples knew nothing of violence and only compromise. After discovering what Azar's beloved student had spent most of her time doing on that Earth, the option became clear.

The leader of the rebellion colony was Dallan and his wife Ellama Selvanus. They created a set of rules for their own people and had sent the Temple a outline of the city limits. This was the rebels idea of compromise, Asrai and the rest of the disciples had to keep their followers away from "their" land that they deemed " Free Land." Where those who wanted to use their magic as they pleased were free to do within the freedom their land provided.

But this, Azarath divided, causes an uproar. A panic came from the peaceful civilians with in the safer parts of the land and in the Free Land where the magic was corrupt, and without the protection of Temple guards, there was no one to help Dallan restore order to his land.

And Asrai proposed a proposal. In which the Temple Azarath offered Raven to the eldest Selvanus son, Callum. Their union would solidify the vow on both sides to compromise for a better Azarath.

Raven knew nothing of Callum other than the fact that his age was ten years more than hers. She was 22, young by Earth standards but had she spent her last few years at the Temple Azarath, she would have been paired off years ago. Probably at 18, as many young Azarath brides were. While her few extra years would earn her a few stares in court, she imagine how on Azar, did the Selvanus family manage to keep Callum unmarried until the age of 32? which was not only late by Azar standards but Earth's as well.

She was not in this arrangement for the hopes of landing a handsome man in which she would rule this land together with. But since she was expected to provide a child from this union as proof that the marriage had indeed been consummated, Raven hoped it was not too much to ask that this man not be horribly disfigured.

And she was surprised at how well she was taking this. She could still feel her masked companions lips on her heated skin and still she managed to stomach the thought of lying with another man. A man she did know. What if this Callum was as violent as his father's rebel? As a representative of the Azar people would she have no right but allow his abuse?

She had questions for Asrai.

Because her people were desperate for a solution, she'd agreed thus far. It wasn't like Raven to make mistakes, and even less likely for her to admit to those mistakes. But perhaps, Raven wondered, perhaps this decision required more thought than she initially bothered with.

"Miss, your rooms." The man who held her backs turned to her with gentle turquoise eyes. If nothing else, this was what Raven loved about this place. She was not a spectacle with violet and eyes and lavender hair. The young man who had been her captain and her escort to the temple seemed no older than herself. With white blond hair that fell past his shoulder and a green chakra of his own, everything about this man spoke of peace and tranquility.

And she would need friends if she had any hopes of surviving this. If there was anything she learned from being on Earth is that despite appearance, she did not have the appetite for solitude as she had once imagined.

"Sir, " she cleared her throat as it constricted with her nervousness. Raven had managed to keep her own friends at the Tower but suddenly could not recall how she managed to _make_ friends with any of her beloved teammates.

"Raven." She extended a hand very quickly, startling her new companion into dropping one of her many bags.

"Miss!" he scrambled for the ground muttering apologies as he reached for the abandoned leather luggage on the ground. Raven rolled her eyes and reached for the bag before he did and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He stilled.

Contact.

Yes, she'd forgotten. Men of Azar were not often touched by women outside their families. The years spent in the unwanted embraces and unabashed physical contact had made her soft. She quickly snatched her hand and pressed it into her side, avoiding his gaze, worried she had offended him.

To her surprise, the young man stood in front of her with sympathy etched in his soft features. He cleared his throat and gestured to the open door before gripping the luggage in his arms tighter. "After you, Miss."

Raven nodded and hurried in, barely able to keep the heat from rising to her cheeks. Her first shot at friendship had already been sentenced to a silent and brief end. She sighed and turned to find the young man stacking the suitcases neatly in the corner.

"Thank you." She forced out, surprised by the confidence in her tone. He stilled and Raven almost frowned. Had she said something wrong again? Gestures of thanks were not uncommon in Azar. Perhaps this guard was uncomfortable with her? Why Raven wondered.

The young man nodded before returning to his task. Raven gave the lavish room a once over, barely taking into account the grand accommodations she'd been presented with as her eyes fell upon herself in a mirror in the corner.

Bare legs exposed to the hilt in her dark leotard, The fabric of her costume stretched tightly over her chest and she blanched. The guard was covered from ankle to wrist in a white billowy tunic and matching pant. Modesty.

And apparently she'd left it all at home with her sense of propriety.

Wrapping her cloak around her just a fraction tighter, Raven turned to find the young man staring at her expectantly. Did he require a dismissal? Was she royalty now?

"Thank you, again." She tried. And still he stood there, watching her as if contemplating something.

Slowly his arm lifted from his side and he offered his pale hand to her the way she had to him only moments ago.

"Rain." He said. And Raven felt the corners of her lips tug in a slight smile as she took his into hers, shaking them gently.

"Raven." she repeated and to her surprise, he awarded her with a genuine smile. A unrestrained one, like the kind she received at home.

Home? No, Earth. Pulling her arm down back to her side, Rain bowed quickly before taking his leave.

Raven turned to the heavy black gown adorned in shimmering stones, and sighed as she began to pull her newly lengthened locks into a respectable plait.

Soon she would said Asrai, the note attached to her gown had read "Welcome Home."

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Just a bit of history in this one. Since this story involves a lot of my own ideas about what Azarath could be like, I'm going to need to expand on the background from chapter to chapter. I didn't forget about Robin, and don't worry about any of my OCs, He will still have a very prominent role in this story.

VERY.

Thanks for the support.

--Violet.


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